Letting Go
by ktreereads
Summary: Sabine sees how upset Marinette is after the debacle at the wax museum and offers Marinette some Good Advice. Marinette decides to take the advice and try to let go of her obsession. Season 3 spoilers.
1. Chapter One

**I've always preferred reading to writing, so this is my first ever attempt at creative writing. Be gentle with me. :) After watching Puppeteer 2 I was hoping someone (anyone!) would give Marinette some Good Advice, but it never seems to happen. In this story, Desperada happens before Puppeteer 2 (so think production order rather than release order.) I don't know if this story will be more than a one shot. Maybe.**

**I don't own Miraculous Ladybug. **

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"Thank you! See you soon!" Sabine smiled as the customer walked out the door. She sighed in relief and after a moment moved to lock the bakery doors for the evening. Her relief turned to concern when she saw the look of defeat on her daughter's face as Marinette exited the Agreste's care and stood in front of the bakery door. Sabine turned to Tom, her concern telegraphed silently to him as Marinette opened the door and walked silently past her parents.

"What do you think happened?" Tom asked quietly.

"I don't know. Let's give her a few minutes while we close up and then I'll go talk to her." After Sabine finished closing the store she went upstairs and stood below Marinette's door. She heard Marinette talking to someone, probably Alya, on the phone, and knocked on the trap door. "Marinette, sweetheart, do you want to talk about what happened?" After a muffled end to the conversation, Marinette pulled open the door.

"Maman, everything is a mess!" Marinette sobbed. "The trip to the museum was a total disaster."

"Oh honey," Sabine stepped into the room and wrapped her little girl up in a tight hug. Together they sat down on the chaise. "Why don't you tell me about it."

"I embarrassed myself, Maman. As usual, I couldn't form a coherent sentence with Adrien there. Alya and Nino left me alone with him and after a minute I ran to the bathroom to try and compose myself." Marinette took a deep breath and stared down at the floor. "When I came out of the bathroom I noticed his wax statue was nearby and I sort of...dramatically confessed my feelings to it. I was trying a role play strategy to build my confidence but I got kind of silly, and..I...well, I kissed the statue." Marinette look up at her mother with tears in her eyes. "And _that_ is when the statue moved. Because it was actually Adrien, trying to pull a prank on me. I freaked out, he freaked out, and before we could talk it out properly we were interrupted."

Sabine's mouth dropped open in surprise. "Oh sweetheart. I wonder what possessed him to do such a thing."

"That's not even the worst of it!" Marinette cried. "When we were finally alone again on the way home he apologized, and I apologized, and I had finally, after all of that, worked up the courage to tell him how I fell about him. But he cut me off just before I got the words out and he said '_the girl I love thinks I tell too many jokes_.'" Marinette jumped up to pace the room, waving her hands wildly as she ranted. "It took me all of that embarrassment to work up the courage to finally, _finally!_ say it I didn't even get to do it! I was rejected, had my heart ripped right out, and he doesn't even know what he did! I don't know how I can even face him at school on Monday." Marinette sat back down next to Sabine and threw her arms around her mother. "What do I do now, Maman? Am I stuck in the friend zone forever? All of my friends think that he likes me and that I shouldn't give up, but I don't know who to believe or where to go from here." She sighed deeply and leaned further into her mother's embrace.

"Oh my darling. I'm so sorry you're going through this." Sabine gently patted Marinette's back. "A broken heart is a difficult thing to mend, particularly with a first love. The way forward from here is not easy. I know your friends seem to think he likes you, but sweetheart, if you heard him say he likes someone else, then I must disagree with your friends. The best thing you can do, for yourself and for him, is to respect his feelings. I know you care for him, but he can't help his feelings anymore than you can. And you certainly can't force him to return your feelings. Hanging on to someone who does't return your feelings will only lead to more heartache." Sabine gave her daughter a squeeze. "I'm not saying you'll stop liking him overnight. It will take some time to heal and feel normal again, and that's part of what makes it difficult when the person you care for is still part of your life every day. But maybe try focusing on being his friend. There are many different kinds of love and care. Focus on loving and caring as his friend."

Marinette looked up at her mother, sniffling. "Do you think, maybe, he might...notice me if we were better friends? That maybe he could..."she trailed off hopefully.

Sabine sighed. "It's possible, honey. If he really gets to know you and see all of the wonderful qualities that make you _you_, he could." She patted Marinette gently on the cheek. "But I don't want you to get your hopes up, or hang your heart on that possibility. Because it's also possible that he will only ever see you as a friend, and that you will move on to find someone else in the future who does see all of these wonderful qualities in you. For now, I suggest just being his friend. And you know, sweetheart, you don't have to date anyone. Having a boyfriend, dating, being in love, these can all be good and important things, but they are not the _most_ important things in life, especially now. You are so young, and maybe it's hard to see now when you are heartbroken, but you have all of your life, your dreams, ahead of you! Figure out who you are and what you want, be comfortable just being you before you add anyone else into the mix." Sabine hugged her daughter again and patted her leg as she stood up. "Would you like me to bring up some hot chocolate and cookies for you? I know chocolate always makes me feel a little better."

Marinette sniffed, wiped her eyes, and stood up. "Yes, please, Maman." She reached out for one last hug. "Thank you for listening. I'll really think about what you said.

Sabine smiled, gave Marinette one more affectionate pat and a kiss on her cheek. "I'll be right back with your chocolate."

* * *

Marinette put her cookies and hot chocolate down and flopped onto her chaise with a big sigh. Looking up at the ceiling she contemplated her mothers words.

"Maman is right, Tikki. This, this...obsession has gone too far. It's brought me more stress and heartache than progress. I can't believe that ridiculous display at the museum. Ugh! Why couldn't I just have behaved normally for once!" She growled in frustration. "And so many other messes! Desperada, Tikki! I was so blinded by my obsession that I completely overlooked the right person for the job, _twice_! I do have a troubled heart! I'm so stupid!"

Tikki snuggled her chosen's cheek in sympathy. "You're not stupid, Marinette. People make mistakes. _You _are allowed to make mistakes. And you can't help how you feel about Adrien. There's nothing wrong with loving him. Real love is always a positive thing. But I think I agree with your mother. While what I said earlier is true, and we don't know what is in store for you in the future, you have to be respectful of Adrien's feelings. After all, he can't help them any more than you can. Maybe it is time to focus on how you can show Adrien how much you love him by being his friend. Perhaps you'll find that it's easier to be yourself around him without all of the pressure of confessing your feelings."

Marinette looked up at her kwami. "Yeah. I do seem to do better around him when the pressure is off." She sipped the last of her chocolate while Tikki finished off the cookies. "Will you help me start tonight? I think the first step on the path away from obsession is to remove all of the posters."

Tikki zipped around and nuzzled Marinette's cheek once more. "Of course! I'll always help you, Marinette!"

Marinette stood and together they looked around the room with a critical eye. The Adrien Schedule was the first thing taken down. Marinette balled it up and stuffed it into a box she designated as trash for her obsession clean-up project. Next to go were the excessive amount of magazine cutouts she had hanging on the wall. "I can't believe I have so many of these!" Tikki giggled as she pulled another from the wall. After a few minutes the walls were cleansed of any picture that wasn't personal. Marinette looked at her bare walls with a mixture of sadness and hope. With a grunt, she picked up the trash box and hefted it down the stairs to the dumpster outside. She heaved it in, and wiped her hand off on her jeans. "There. First step done. She made her way back to her room and once again eyed the bare walls. "I'll have to make a new calendar, but at least now I have plenty more space for design ideas! And _real_ photos with my friends!"

Marinette changed into here pajamas and climbed up into her bed with her phone. Unlocking the screen, she noticed several missed texts from her friends. Just as she was about to reply to one, Alya's face popped onto her screen for a video call. Marinette grimaced, took a deep breath, and answered the call.

"Hey girl! You haven't answered any of my texts! What gives?" Alya demanded. When she saw her friend her expression changed from annoyance to concern. "Is everything ok? Things seemed a little tense on the car ride home earlier. Did something happen that I don't know about?"

Marinette hunched her shoulders. "I don't really want to talk about it right now. Maybe tomorrow? You can come over in the afternoon."

Alya lifted one eyebrow. "Ok, girl. If you're sure." Marinette nodded. "Alright then. But you better tell me everything. See you tomorrow."

"Yeah, see you."


	2. Chapter Two

**Hello again! This chapter has been really tough for me to get out. I had no inspiration for the longest time. And then I rediscovered my 90's Alternative Rock playlist! So, this chapter (and maybe future ones, if there are any) is brought to you by the 90's. Enjoy!**

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"Marinette!"

"Gah!" The girl in question flailed and fell off her chair when her trap door slammed open. She turned to see her best friend doubled over in laughter. "Jeez, Alya. Give a girl some warning." Marinette turned back around and looked down at her sketchbook, frowning at the dark line bisecting the dress she was drawing. "Shoot. I'm going to have to start this one over."

"Sorry girl." Alya chuckled a moment more and then cringed as her friend ripped the page out. She looked around Marinette's room with wide eyes. "But you haven't been answering your texts! Not from me or anyone else. The girls were getting worried, so I came early to check on you." She glanced around the room again and arched an eyebrow. "I see you've been redecorating, and now you have to tell me what on earth is going on. Spill."

Marinette sighed and closed her sketchbook. "Yeah. You're right that something happened yesterday while we were in the museum. I haven't really felt like talking about it. I did talk to my mom though." She closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair. "I'll tell you, just...promise me you won't say anything until I'm finished."

"Sure, girl." Alya reached out and patted Marinette on the shoulder. "Whenever you're ready. I'm here for you, ok?"

Marinette smiled weakly. "You may as well sit."

Alya sat down on the chaise as Marinette began her story. She kept her promise not to say anything, but only just. Her eyes widened and she uttered a few incomprehensible murmurs as the tale went on. Marinette sniffed as she finished the story.

"So, now I know. He likes someone else." She wiped a solitary tear trailing down her cheek.

Alya puffed air out of her cheeks. "Wow. That is really...something."

"I feel like such an idiot, Alya." Marinette tilted her head back to stare at the ceiling. "I made such a fool of myself."

"Are you _sure_ he said he likes someone else?"

"Yes." Marinette nodded and spun her chair in a half circle to face her friend. "I'm sure. It's hard to mistake 'the girl I'm in love with' for anything else."

Alya pressed her lips together in thought. "Hm. Let's text the other girls and get them over here. I'm sure we can come up with something to help Adrien realize _you're_ the girl he's in love with." She pulled her phone out of her pocket and navigated to the messaging app.

"No."

Alya looked up from her half finished text. "What do you mean, 'no'?" she asked in shock. "We all know that boy likes you. We can help him realize it!"

"No, Alya," Marinette repeated, forcefully. "I mean it. After I talked to my mom last night, I came to a few conclusions about...all of this. The first was that I actually _can't_ force him to like me, or to realize that he likes me."

Alya stared at her friend. "But girl, he does like you. We can all see it! I mean, didn't you see the picture of the two of you on the Star Train? You don't snuggle like that with _just a friend_."

Marinette flushed. "Of course I remember. I have a copy of that picture. It's one of the few of him that I left up on my board." She pointed to the board above her bed. "But nice photos aside, it doesn't matter what _we_ think he wants. Don't get me wrong, I would be thrilled if you were right. But that's not what _he_ says he wants. And that is conclusion number two." She frowned. "I have to accept and respect what _his_ feelings are, and let him go. Just focus on being his friend, since that's all we are. I like being his friend, after all."

"Alya raised her eyebrows. "So that's it? You're just going to let it go?"

Marinette shrugged. "I don't think there's any other choice, Alya. Not if I want to stay friends with him." She sighed. "I've given it a lot of thought since yesterday, and I think Maman is right. It's for the best." She gestured to her bare walls. "Do you remember how many posters I had up there?"

"Definitely a lot."

"Yes. A lot. And that schedule. I took them all down, and while I was cleaning up I realized that some while ago I crossed a line from just a crush into an obsession. It wasn't healthy."

"I'm not sure I would go that far..." Alya trailed off. "Well, maybe things got just a little crazy sometimes."

Marinette laughed bitterly. "A little? I can think of at least ten akumas that were caused or made worse because of my 'crush'. I think ten is pretty excessive."

"It can't be ten. No way." Alya protested.

"Yes. Ten." She held up a finger and began counting off. "The first Gamer, Rogercop, Animan, Riposte, Frightningale, Troublemaker, Animaestro, the second Reflekta, Ikari Gozen, Glaciator, the second Puppeteer. Oh and Desperada. That's actually twelve. Twelve akumas that I have caused or made worse because I let my crush on Adrien get out of hand."

Alya scrunched her face as she counted in her head. "Wow. I never thought of that." She looked at her friend with sympathy. "So...that's it? No more plans to win Adrien over?"

"That's right. No more. We're just friends, and I'm going to learn to be ok with that." Marinette closed her eyes. "Eventually, I'll be ok with it. I'm going to need all the help I can get, because right now I don't even know how I'm going to look him in the face without crying."

Alya looked at her friend with a calculating smirk. "So...if you're giving up on Adrien...does that mean you're going to take Luka seriously? I mean, he makes no secret of the fact that he likes you."

Marinette sat up in her chair and gaped at her friend. "No, Alya. Just no. You're right that I know that he likes me. He confessed his feelings as an akuma. And then again after the akumatization. And honestly, I think I could like him too, but trying to date right now, when I'm still heart broken over Adrien? That wouldn't be fair, not to him or to me. No one deserves to be second choice. If I go out with Luka, it will be because I'm over Adrien. Luka is wonderful and he deserves someone who wants him for _him_ and not because she's trying to get over someone else."

Alya smiled. "Huh. I'm really proud of you, girl. And you know I'm here for you, every step of the way. Whatever you need." She stood and gave her friend a hug. "Now how about we call up the girls, and ask them to bring over some ice cream? We'll have a movie night and cry over romantic comedies."

Marinette shot her friend a grateful look. "That sounds great right now. I'll go see if we have any popcorn."

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**I am of the firm belief that Alya wouldn't abandon Marinette like so many of the Lila-hating fics make out. I think she just misinterpret's Marinette's reactions because she is not in possession of all the facts (and really, she hasn't done a great job fact checking, so there is that). I also think that Alya pushes Marinette because she thinks that's what Marinette wants, but as soon as she sees that Marinette is serious about giving up, she'll be there to help her friend out. Overall I think Alya is a good friend. I like her spunky attitude. **

**Hope you enjoyed it! See you next time! Don't know how long that will be...hopefully the 90's can help me out some more. :) **


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